Which North African trade empire controlled Mediterranean routes?

• A. Silk Road
• B. Shimoda and Hakodate
• C. Carthage
• D. Malacca

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is who dominated sea trade across the Mediterranean. Carthage, a powerful North African city-state based in what is now Tunisia, built a strong maritime economy that stretched across the western and central Mediterranean. Its merchants and navy controlled key ports and sea lanes, enabling the movement of goods like metals, grain, olive oil, wine, textiles, and luxury items between Iberia, Sicily, Sardinia, North Africa, and beyond. This extensive network made Carthage the standout power in controlling Mediterranean routes for a long period, long before the rise of Rome.

The other options point to different trade systems: the Silk Road is an overland network linking Asia with Europe, not focused on the Mediterranean; Shimoda and Hakodate are Japanese ports with no relation to North African trade empires; Malacca became a major Southeast Asian hub later on, not a North African power.